October 2018

PROGRAM PREVIEW

2018 AAO Annual Meeting • October 27–30, 2018Cornea Subspecialty Day

by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Senior Staff Writer/Digital Editor

Cornea Subspecialty Day will be held at the 2018 AAO Annual Meeting in Chicago on Oct. 27. This year’s program will look at “What’s Tried, True, and New.” Program directors include Carol Karp, MD, Miami, Jennifer Li, MD, Sacramento, California, and Sanjay Patel, MD, Rochester, Minnesota.
Dr. Karp discussed some of the features of this year’s subspecialty day. The day will be filled with national and international experts on anterior segment topics. The program will include six sections: “Anterior Segment Imaging – Tried and True and a New View,” “Concerning Keratoplasty – Stripping Away the Layers of Mystery,” “Conjunctival Tumors – Is it a “Toomah”?” “Hot Topics,” “Ocular Surface Disease – Whetting Your Appetite” and “Cornea Infections – Medical Therapy and Beyond.” Dr. Karp noted that each section is going to take an evidence-based approach to the topic.
The first section will cover anterior segment imaging in a variety of scenarios, including keratoconus, cataract surgery, LASIK, and infectious keratitis. Dr. Karp said that the focus will be imaging that can help surgeons decide how to approach the disease to best help the patient.
The section on conjunctival tumors will feature experts discussing common lesions that comprehensive ophthalmologists and corneal specialists encounter. Some topics to be highlighted include ocular surface squamous neoplasia, pterygium, and conjunctival lesions in children. Dr. Karp added that the Cornea Subspecialty Day program has not previously covered tumors in children.
Another section of the program will highlight what Dr. Karp referred to as the “ABCs of corneal surgery,” and this will cover different topics in keratoplasty. Presentations will address DSAEK, DMEK, PK, DALK, Descemet’s stripping only (DSO), and more. Dr. Karp said these are topics that have been addressed before, but there is “just so much to discuss in the field of selective keratoplasty.”
The section on ocular surface disease will cover dry eye, meibomian gland dysfunction, neuropathic corneal pain, and more. Ocular surface disease is the “bread and butter” for cornea specialists and comprehensive ophthalmologists, Dr. Karp said, adding that there will be tips for detecting the disease and information on diagnostic tests.
The section on corneal infections will cover infectious keratitis, interface and wound infections, crosslinking for infectious keratitis, and more.
Finally, there will be a “Hot Topics” section, which will include updates from the DREAM Study, simple limbal epithelial transplantation (SLET), Fuchs’ dystrophy, and the Cornea Preservation Time Study.
To keep the program lively, each session will feature case presentations and panel discussions. Audience members will have a chance to text in questions for panel members to answer.
Dr. Karp looks forward to a valuable learning experience for corneal and comprehensive surgeons with a day full of excellent lectures, case presentations, and roundtable discussions with prominent leaders in the field of cornea.